Aboriginal playwright visits University theater classes

By Brandy Entsminger

Originally published September 26, 2008 at midnight, updated September 29, 2008 at midnight

Australian Aboriginal playwright David Milroy weaves the past and present of the Aboriginal story through his work.

Milroy will speak about the experience to six Introduction to Theater classes today as part of the “Origins: on the Road” tour sponsored by Bronitsky and Associates, an international cultural marketing company. Milroy will also present a play-writing workshop at Haskell Indian Nations University tomorrow.

Presentations by David Milroy are free and open to the public.

Today:

Sabbatini Multicultural Resource Center classroom

9-9:50 a.m.

10-10:50 a.m.

11-11:50 a.m.

12-12:50 p.m.

1-1:50 p.m.

The commons at Spooner Hall

2-3:30 p.m.

Tomorrow:

Haskell Indian Nations University

10 a.m. to noon

The presentations are open to the public and will address the history of Aboriginal theater, the development of the theater in over the last 20 years and the last 150 years of western Australian history.

Milroy said his lectures provided context for the theater and often varied depending on the audience’s interests.

“It’s not just about theater; it’s about many of the social and political issues that Aboriginal people have faced in Australia,” Milroy said.

Milroy is a member of the Palyku tribe in Australia. He said Aboriginal theater served as a “catch-up theater” because it told stories that had been left out of history books. It also serves as a way to maintain Aboriginal culture.

The inspiration for Milroy’s work comes from the real-life experiences of his family, friends and tribal group, which he compared to the experience of American Indians. He said he also developed traditional stories into contemporary pieces.

Most of Milroy’s past work focused on historical issues. Recently, he has been focusing on contemporary issues, such as the effects mining has on the Aboriginal community and the country as a whole.

John Hoopes, director of the Global Indigenous Nations Studies program, said the visit would give students the opportunity to learn about the history of discrimination against Aboriginal and other indigenous people in Australia.

“To actually have a face-to-face conversation with someone whose experience is very different from your own is very valuable,” Hoopes said.

The idea for the tour was developed when Milroy met Gordon Bronitsky, president and founder of Bronitsky and Associates. Bronitsky saw one of Milroy’s presentations in London and invited him to share it with the Native American community in the U.S.

The department of theater and film, the department of English, the Global Indigenous Nations Studies program and the Spencer Museum of Art sponsored the visit.

John Staniunas, chair of the department of theater and film, said they chose to include the Introduction to Theater class because it had discussion sections on Friday and because it would reach a wide variety of students. He said it would raise awareness of not only Aboriginal culture, but also of the cultures of other indigenous groups.

The “Origins: on the Road” tour stopped at four other colleges and universities in the Midwest. Milroy said he would like to expand the tour in the future and work to develop a stronger presence for Native American theater in the U.S.

— — Edited by Kelsey Hayes

Comments

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Advertisement